There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception ~ Aldous Huxley

Chapter 1

Christopher Fitzgibbons

Nicodemus had a thin-looking stick with a little fire on it and his shaky, old hand lit a single candle that was at his desk with that stick. Cobwebs could be seen everywhere, with old books and bottles covered in dust. Nicodemus was a very old rat but he was very wise.

Nicodemus then opened an old looking book and then he grabbed his quill and dipped it into some ink in his inkpot and when he took his quill out of the ink pot, flowing particles of magic flowed out. It was very strange but it was also impossible. He then began to write and as he did the words began to glow a radiant golden yellow as if they were drops from the sun.

As he wrote his words he spoke what he was writing as if someone else was in the room with him. "Jonathan Brisby… was killed today while helping with the Plan… It is four years since our departure from NIMH." He then dabbed his quill back into the inkpot and then continued to write as the magic particles on the words glowed the same beautiful golden yellow color and then disappeared into regular black words. "And our world is changing. We cannot stay here much longer. Jonathan was a dear friend… I'm lost in knowing how to help his widow… She knows nothing of us or the Plan." He then dabbed his quill back into the inkpot and continued to write. "Perhaps best that I do nothing at present. I shall miss him." He then wrote his signature in the book.

He then picked up from an open box a beautiful, shiny-looking necklace that was a golden color and on it was a bright, red stone. His reflection could be seen on the stone as he looked at it sadly. "Jonathan… wherever you are… your thoughts must comfort her. She'll be waiting and you will not return." He then gingerly placed the necklace back into the box that had his first initial on it and then closed it and then he patted the top of the box with both of his hands. "Very well… my friend."

It was a beautiful sunny day and it wouldn't be long for Christopher Fitzgibbons until he got to his Uncle Paul and Aunt Beth's farm. He was driving in his polar white mustang cobra from New York City for a nice whole week of a vacation. He left New York for his job and he was a photographer and he really needed this vacation (mostly because it was for work). He was losing a lot of inspiration back in the city and he thought that the only way he could get his inspiration back was if he spent the whole week in the countryside. He hadn't been in the countryside for a long time ever since he left it for his photography job back in the city. When he first settled into the city it felt like Hell for him but since he's been living there for a while he now had no problem with it.

Chris breathed in the fresh air and it was very calming. He always loved the countryside when he was growing up and some memories came to him and some of them made him chuckle. Whenever it rained outside when Chris was a kid he didn't waste any time and always went out in the pouring rain, splashing in the puddles, playing in the mud, and sometimes he even stuck his tongue out as if it was snowing. His Mom would scold him whenever she found him playing in the rain and would always tell him to go wash up.

Those were the good days.

Nowadays it was mostly adult stuff that Chris was always worried about and it was mostly bills and bills and more bills. He didn't have any financial problems but it always stressed him out. He knew better though than to drink or smoke away from his problems. He wasn't a smoker or an alcoholic and if he had to choose between those and living with rats he'd choose the rats.

He was a tall twenty-four-year-old man with a brown short haircut and green eyes. He was wearing jeans, a denim jacket, a white t-shirt, and white sneakers. He was also wearing some sunglasses to block the sun from blinding him as he was driving.

Chris looked at his gas gauge and he saw that it was almost empty. Luckily for him, there was a gas station a few drives ahead and as soon as he got close enough to it he pulled into the nearest gas pump and parked his car. He got out of his car and then he paid the gas pump what he wanted with his debit card and then he started to fill up his car. After he filled his car up with gas he then started to hear his phone ring in the passenger seat. He put the pump back to where it belonged and then he opened the passenger door of his car and pulled out his phone. He opened his phone and as he did the aerial popped up and then he put the phone near his ear.

"Hello, this Christopher Fitzgibbons," Chris answered.

"Hi Chris, it's your Aunt Beth," replied his Aunt on the phone.

Chris had his arm on the door of the passenger seat. "Aunt Beth, hi, how are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm doing just fine. I just wanted to call you and ask you if you were anywhere close to the farm."

"Yeah, I should be there soon. I was just finishing up filling my car with gas."

"Good, because Billy keeps asking me nonstop about when you were getting here. He's really excited to see you again."

Billy was Chris's younger cousin and he could be a pain in his ass from time to time. Whenever Chris and his parents came over to the farm to visit, Billy would always want to have some fun with Chris and would ask him a lot of questions and sometimes Chris couldn't even answer some of them. Sometimes for the fun of it, Chris would pull some pranks on Billy just so he would leave him alone and back then he was pretty good with his pranks. A lot of his pranks got him into trouble though and earned him getting grounded for two weeks.

"I bet he his," Chris said. "So how's Uncle Paul doing?"

"Well you know your Uncle, he works a lot on the farm to provide for this family but he's doing great."

"Well if you get the chance tell him I said hi and that I will be there soon."

"I will and we'll see you soon."

"Alright, bye."

Chris hung up the phone and then he tossed his phone into the passenger seat and then closed the door to the passenger seat and then he made his way to the driver's seat and closed the door and he started the car and continued on his way to the farm.

After a while of driving, Chris finally made it to the driveway of the farm. It was just how he remembered it and nothing seemed to have changed here. It was as every farm field should be, nice and green. Chris then parked his car the best he could and then looked out the window to the house. It looked very nice as usual standing tall-even though it wasn't a tower from the city.

Chris popped the trunk of his car and when he took only one of his feet out of the car he felt his foot step into something mushy. He looked down and he gagged when he saw he stepped into some cat poop. He wiped his foot on the green grass and then he carefully placed his other foot away from the poop and muttered to himself and cursed as he was wiping the cat poop off his shoe.

"Stupid cat," Chris said under his breath.

Chris's Uncle, Aunt, and cousin had a cat named Dragon and Chris never liked cats. He especially hated their cat, Dragon. He never said it to them because he knew that it would've upset Billy. Billy loved many animals, especially cats.

Chris went to his trunk to grab his suitcase and carry-on bag and then he closed the trunk and then locked his car. He then made his way to the porch and as he did he could smell something divining that was making his mouth water. He then heard his stomach grumble and he then realized that he was starving after a long trip.

He then got to the porch and when he did he knocked on the screen door. He then saw his Aunt Beth approach the door. When she opened the door she gleamed at Chris when she saw him. "Chris, it's so good to see you!"

Chris and his Aunt Beth hugged each other. "Hi, Aunt Beth," Chris said.

His Aunt was a very nice woman and she was always welcoming to a lot of people. His Aunt had blond hair in a high ponytail and she was wearing a purple dress with a light purple apron and some high heels. Chris couldn't even imagine himself walking in his Aunt's shoes.

"Come in," Beth said and Chris walked into the house and placed his stuff on the ground as his Aunt went back to preparing dinner. Chris took his shoes off because he knew his Aunt didn't like it when people were walking around the house with their shoes on. "You must be hungry, why don't you take your stuff to the guest room and then come back downstairs. Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes."

"Alright, thanks, Aunt Beth." Chris grabbed his stuff and made his way to the guest room upstairs. When he put his stuff on the bed he then made his way back downstairs just in time to hear his aunt.

"Dinner's ready!"

When Chris sat down at a seat near a table he saw his Aunt shut the screen door. Chris smelled the food and it made his stomach growl louder. His Aunt was a very good cook and made the best food that Chris ever tasted. His Aunt always liked to say that her food was made with love.

He then heard the screen door open and close and Chris looked to see that it was Billy. Billy was a redhead, with freckles and he was wearing a green shirt and some baggy pants. When Billy saw Chris he smiled. "Chris!" Billy ran over to Chris and gave him a bear hug. "It's great to see you!"

"Billy Lee Fitzgibbons," Beth said and Billy looked at his Mom a little worried. "What did I say about running in the house with your shoes on?"

Billy looked at his Mom guilty. "Sorry, Mom," Billy went back near the screen door and took off his shoes. He then sat in a seat next to Chris and smiled again. "Chris, wanna play a game tonight?"

"Not tonight, Billy," Beth said as she brought dinner to the table and on the plate, she brought was sloppy joes. "Maybe tomorrow though, Chris had a long day of driving and needs some rest."

Chris wanted to thank his Aunt but he didn't want to upset Billy. He then heard a cat and he frowned knowing who it was.

Dragon.

He saw his aunt look to the screen door. "Hang on, Dragon."

Beth went to the screen door and opened it and when she did, Dragon walked into the kitchen and went to his food bowl and started to eat his dinner. Dragon had dark gray fur, with one yellow eye and one blue eye. Chris thought Dragon was creepy looking. Not just because of his eyes but because he kind of looked more dog-like than of a cat. He even had a nightmare of him once.

He then heard the screen door open and close and Chris saw that it was his Uncle Paul and he was taking off his shoes. His Uncle had brown hair like him but he had a different hairstyle and he had a mustache. He was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and the sleeves of his shirt were pulled up and he was wearing overalls. When Paul saw Chris he gave him a friendly smile and walked over to Chris and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hi, Chris," Paul said. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Yeah, it was a rough ride but I managed to get here in one piece," Chris said.

Paul chuckled as he sat down in a seat as did Beth. "That's a nice looking car out there, no wonder why you wanted to drive here and not take the airplane."

"That and I didn't want to get it stolen."

"Alright, boys," Beth said. "Let's dig in."

Everyone at the table started to eat their sloppy joes and as they did, Beth, Paul, and Billy started to ask Chris questions about how he was doing, what the city was like, all that stuff and Chris answered the best he could as he started to ask them some questions. It was a nice evening for Chris.

Chris was in the guest room finishing unpacking his stuff and putting them in their rightful places and as soon as he finished putting his last item in its rightful place he then laid down on his bed and sighed after a long day. He then yawned and rubbed his eyes and so wanted to get some sleep tonight. He reached over to the lamp on the bedside table and turned out the light and then rolled onto his side and closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

As he was sleeping he began to wonder what tomorrow would be like for him. He wondered if he would get some good photos in and if he would be inspired by something.

He also wondered if anything new would happen tomorrow.

A/N- I couldn't stop thinking about this idea for a long time. I love The Secret of NIMH and I love how dark and mysterious it is and I think it's a very great movie. I don't know how soon I can work on this story, considering I'm also working on Where the Wild Calls. But I do hope you enjoyed the first chapter because I'm not sure if I did anything wrong in this but if I did please don't hesitate to tell me what I did wrong. But other than that chapter 2 will be here soon and Chris is sure going to be in one hell of a ride.